Thomas Keiser signed a contract with San Diego, the team announced. Terms of the deal were not immediately disclosed.

The 24-year-old, listed at 6-foot-4 and 260 pounds, joins a position of need for the Chargers, who likely lost outside linebacker Melvin Ingram for the season this week when he suffered a torn ACL in practice.

Undrafted out of Stanford, Keiser signed with the Panthers in 2011. He spent time on the practice squad and played eight games, totaling 12 tackles, four sacks and an interception. He had four tackles and half a sack in four games last season before suffering a season-ending elbow injury.

A defensive end in Carolina's 4-3 defensive scheme, he joins Jarret Johnson and Larry English as the only healthy Chargers veterans at outside linebacker.